Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that the intercellular spaces of the stratum corneum contain multilamellar lipid sheets with variable ultrastructure in addition to desmosomes or desmosomal remnants. The intercellular lamellae are thought to provide a permeability barrier whereas the desmosomes are responsible for cell-cell cohesion. In this study, transmission electron microscopy of RuO4-fixed tissue was used to compare the proportions of the intercellular spaces in epidermal and palatal stratum corneum occupied by desmosomes and by different patterns of lamellae. Desmosomes are more abundant in palatal than in epidermal stratum corneum (46.9 vs 15.0% length of intercellular space). In epidermis the most frequent lamellar arrangements involve 3 (23.5%) or 6 (24.2%) lucent bands with an alternating broad-narrow-broad pattern, whereas the most frequent lamellar arrangements in palatal tissue are 2 (17.2%) or 4 (10.5%) lucent bands of uniform width. Most of the nondesmosomal portion of the intercellular space in palatal stratum corneum was dilated and had elongated lamellae at the periphery and short disorganized lamellae and amorphous electron-dense material in the interior. It is concluded that the multilamellar lipid sheets are less extensive in palatal than in epidermal stratum corneum, which could explain the greater permeability of the palate.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Breathnach AS, Goodman T, Stolinski C, Gross M (1973) Freeze fracture replication of cells of stratum corneum of human epidermis. J Anat 114:65–81
Chang F, Swartzendruber DC, Wertz PW, Squier CA (1993) Covalently bound lipids in keratinizing epithelia. Biochim Biophys Acta 1150:98–102
Chapman SJ, Walsh A (1990) Desmosomes, corneosomes and desquamation. An ultrastructural study of adult pig epidermis. Arch Dermatol Res 282:304–310
Chen YP, Squier CA (1983) The ultrastructure of the oral epithelium. In: Meyer J, Squier CA, Gerson SJ (eds) The structure and function of oral mucosa. Pergamon Press, Oxford, pp 7–30
Egelrud T, Lundstrum A (1991) Intercellular lamellar lipids in plantar stratum corneum. Acta Derm Venereol 71:369–372
Elias PM, Friend DS (1975) The permeability barrier in mammalian epidermis. J Cell Biol 65:180–191
Elias PM, McNutt NS, Friend DS (1977) Membrane alterations during cornification of mammalian squamous epithelia: a freeze-fracture, tracer, and thin-section study. Anat Rec 189:577–594
Fartasch M, Bassukas ID, Diepgen TL (1992) Disturbed extruding mechanism of lamellar bodies in dry non-exematous skin in atopics. Brit J Dermatol 127:221–227
Fartasch M, Bassukas ID, Diepgen TL (1993) Structural relationship between epidermal lipid lamellae, lamellar bodies and desmosomes in human epidermis: an ultrastructural study. Brit J Dermatol 128:1–9
Gaylarde P, Sarkany I (1968) Ruthenium tetroxide for fixing and staining cytoplasmic membranes. Science 161:1157–1158, 1968
Ghadially R, Williams ML, Hou SYE, Elias PM (1992a) Membrane structural abnormalities in the stratum corneum of the autosomal recessive ichthyoses. J Invest Dermatol 99:755–763
Ghadially R, Halkier-Sorensen L, Elias PM (1992b) Effects of petrolatum on stratum corneum structure and function. J Am Acad Dermatol 26:387–396
Hayward AF (1978) Ultrastructural changes in contents of membrane coating granules after extrusion from epithelial cells of hamster cheek pouch. Cell Tissue Res 187:323–331
Hayward AF (1979) Membrane-coating granules. Int Rev Cytol 59:97–127
Hou SYE, Mitra AK, White SH, Menon GK, Ghadially R, Elias PM (1991) Membrane structures in normal and essential fatty acid-deficient stratum corneum: Characterization by ruthenium tetroxide staining and X-ray diffraction. J Invest Dermatol 96:215–223
Houk J, Guy RH, (1988) Membrane models for skin penetration studies. Chem Rev 88:455–471
Landmann L (1986) Epidermal permeability barrier: transformation of lamellar granule-disks into intercellular sheets by a membrane fusion process. J Invest Dermatol 87:202–209
Landmann L (1988) The epidermal permeability barrier. Anat Embryol 178:1–13
Lavker RM (1976) Membrane coating granules: The fate of the discharged lamellae. J Ultrastruc Res 55:79–96
Madison KC, Swartzendruber DC, Wertz PW, Downing DT (1987) Presence of intact intercellular lipid lamellae in the upper layers of the stratum corneum. J Invest Dermatol 88:714–718
Martinez IR, Peters A (1971) Membrane coating granules and membrane modifications in keratinizing epithelia. Am J Anat 130:93–120
Melton JL, Wertz PW, Swartzendruber DC, Downing DT (1987) Effects of essential fatty acid deficiency on epidermal Oacylsphingolipids and transepidermal water loss in young pigs. Biochim Biophys Acta 921:191–197
Menon GK, Feingold KR, Mao-Qiang M, Schaude M, Elias PM (1992) Structural basis for barrier abnormality following inhibition of HMG CoA reductase in murine epidermis. J Invest Dermatol 98:209–219
Rice RH, Green H (1979) Presence in human epidermal cells of a soluble protein precursor of the cross-linked envelope: activation of the cross-linking by calcium ions. Cell 18:681–694
Schroeder HE (1981) Differentiation of human oral stratified epithelia. Karger, Basel, pp 33–156
Squier CA (1991) The permeability of oral mucosa. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med 2:13–32
Swartzendruber DC (1992) Studies of epidermal lipids using electron microscopy. Semin Dermatol 11:157–161
Swartzendruber DC, Wertz PW, Kitko DJ, Madison KC, Downing DT (1989) Molecular models of the intercellular lipid lamellae in mammalian stratum corneum. J Invest Dermatol 92:251–257
Wertz PW, Downing DT, (1987) Covalently bound ω-hydroxyceramide in the stratum corneum. Biochim Biophys Acta 917:108–111
Wertz PW, Swartzendruber DC, Madison KC, Downing DT (1987) Composition and morphology of epidermal cyst lipids. J Invest Dermatol 89:419–425
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Swartzendruber, D.C., Manganaro, A., Madison, K.C. et al. Organization of the intercellular spaces of porcine epidermal and palatal stratum corneum: a quantitative study employing ruthenium tetroxide. Cell Tissue Res 279, 271–276 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318483
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318483